The Perfect Spaghetti Carbonara

5 from 3 votes

The Perfect Spaghetti Carbonara

Spaghetti carbonara is made with bacon (you can use pancetta, guanciale, or even regular breakfast bacon), cheese, and eggs. The eggs create a silky smooth sauce, and the cheese and crisp bacon both add the perfect salty notes to this spaghetti carbonara dish.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Noodles and Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Calories: 446kcal

Author: Sarah

Ingredients

Salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 oz. bacon (225g, guanciale, or pancetta, chopped)
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
1 pound dried spaghetti (450g)
4 large eggs
1/3 cup half and half (80ml)
2/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese (70g)
freshly cracked black pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon/pancetta and onion and cook until the onion is caramelized and the bacon is crisp. By now, your water should be boiling. Add the spaghetti. Make sure to cook until al dente––don't overcook the pasta!
Meanwhile, in a large serving bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, and cheese. Scrape in the bacon and onion, along with the cooking fat. If it's really hot, allow the bacon to cool off for 1-2 minutes in the pan before adding it to the bowl.
Before draining the pasta, scoop out about 1/3 cup of the cooking water and slowly whisk it into the bowl with the bacon and eggs. Drain the spaghetti and add to the bowl. Toss quickly and place a plate on top of the serving bowl to cover completely. Let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the plate and toss with black pepper and nutmeg (if using).

Nutrition

The Perfect Spaghetti Carbonara by The Woks of Life. Recipe URL: https://body-goals.fit/perfect-spaghetti-carbonara/%3C/em%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-29144":{"type":"food","name":"The Perfect Spaghetti Carbonara","slug":"wprm-the-perfect-spaghetti-carbonara","image_url":"https:\/\/thewoksoflife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/spaghetti-carbonara-3-1.jpg","rating":{"count":3,"total":15,"average":5,"user":0},"ingredients":[{"amount":"","unit":"","name":"Salt","notes":"","id":260,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"","unit":"","timestamp":1774160814000},"type":"ingredient","uid":0,"unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","name":"extra virgin olive oil","notes":"","id":1176,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","timestamp":1774160814000},"type":"ingredient","uid":1,"unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","unitParsed":"tablespoons"}}},{"amount":"8","unit":"oz.","name":"bacon","notes":"(225g, guanciale, or pancetta, chopped)","id":1749,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"8","unit":"oz.","timestamp":1774160814000},"type":"ingredient","uid":2,"unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"8","unit":"oz.","unitParsed":"oz."}}},{"amount":"1","unit":"","name":"medium onion","notes":"(finely chopped)","id":507,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"","timestamp":1774160814000},"type":"ingredient","uid":3,"unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"amount":"1","unit":"pound","name":"dried spaghetti","notes":"(450g)","id":734,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"pound","timestamp":1774160814000},"type":"ingredient","uid":4,"unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"pound","unitParsed":"pound"}}},{"amount":"4","unit":"","name":"large eggs","notes":"","id":479,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"4","unit":"","timestamp":1774160814000},"type":"ingredient","uid":5,"unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"4","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"amount":"1\/3","unit":"cup","name":"half and half","notes":"(80ml)","id":2466,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1\/3","unit":"cup","timestamp":1774160814000},"type":"ingredient","uid":6,"unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1\/3","unit":"cup","unitParsed":"cup"}}},{"amount":"2\/3","unit":"cup","name":"freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese","notes":"(70g)","id":2844,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2\/3","unit":"cup","timestamp":1774160814000},"type":"ingredient","uid":7,"unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2\/3","unit":"cup","unitParsed":"cup"}}},{"amount":"","unit":"","name":"freshly cracked black pepper","notes":"","id":2845,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"","unit":"","timestamp":1774160814000},"type":"ingredient","uid":8,"unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"amount":"1\/8","unit":"teaspoon","name":"nutmeg","notes":"(optional)","id":376,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1\/8","unit":"teaspoon","timestamp":1774160814000},"type":"ingredient","uid":9,"unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1\/8","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}}],"originalServings":"8","originalServingsParsed":8,"currentServings":"8","currentServingsParsed":8,"currentServingsFormatted":"8","currentServingsMultiplier":1,"originalSystem":1,"currentSystem":1,"unitSystems":[1],"originalAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"currentAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0}}}